Unintended

A/N: Cheesiness ensues! LOL

~Chapter 25 ~

"On my knees, I'll ask,
Last chance for one last dance.
'Cause with you, I'd withstand,
All of hell to hold your hand"
~Nickelback ('Far Away')

Finally, my six weeks was over, and it was time to start living again. We had a plan though, Dr. Amun wanted to meet with me twice a week for the first three months, and then reduce it from there to once a week, then twice a month, and eventually settle on once a month indefinitely. It was a plan that I could handle, and when I was in New York, he said we could either Skype, or he could recommend someone out there to help. But Skyping definitely seemed like the right solution, I sure as hell didn't want to start at the beginning with some other guy.

Before I was officially released however, I was asked to attend a departing hour long session, which didn't begin until six pm that evening. Carlisle came to pick me up afterwards, and with a two and a half hour car ride still ahead of us, I figured it would be too late to stop in Port Angles to see Bella and Carlie; so unfortunately, I'd have to wait again to see them. But I wouldn't let it get me down; it was still a good moment.

"So, how do you feel?" Carlisle asked me as he drove onto the freeway.

"Uh…good," I said honestly. "Thanks…for helping me with everything," I told him sincerely.

"You're welcome," he responded emotionally.

We didn't speak much on the car ride, but it wasn't out of anger or even fear; I just had so many things rushing around in my head, and voicing any of it seemed next to impossible at the moment.

But when he got off the freeway, I was too confused to not speak up.

"Carlisle, where are we going?" I asked.

"Oh…I just assumed you'd want to go to Bella's," he said unexpectedly.

"It's almost ten o'clock…Carlie is probably sleeping," I said as my nerves began to rise.

"Well, I'm sure Bella is still up."

"Does she know I've been released?" I asked anxiously.

"Well, she knows it's either tonight or tomorrow. I haven't talked to her much about any of this, I figured you deserved your privacy and if you wanted her to know, you'd tell her yourself," Carlisle explained. "Just let me know what you want to do? I can take you back home with me, or you can try Bella."

The thought of waiting another several hours to see my girls, when there was a chance that I didn't have to, seemed ridiculous. I wanted to be with them immediately, but I just wasn't sure how Bella would react. I knew she would give me another chance eventually, but trying to hash it all out that late hour with Rapunzel sleeping in the next room, might be difficult to say the least…. But in the end, my desire to see them won over every insecurity I was feeling.

So, I had Carlisle take me to Bella's, but asked that he wait in the parking lot for ten minutes before heading home, just in case Bella wanted me to leave.

"I'll be here," Carlisle said as he pulled up to her apartment parking lot. "And Edward…call me at any time, day or night, and I'll come right back to get you," he said intensely.

"Thank you, Carlisle. You'll never know how much you've helped me through all of this. I have no idea how I would have made it through that first day without you," I said honestly.

He smiled. "I'm proud of you son, you've worked hard, and no one could have done that for you, except you." With that, he gestured for me to go, so I did.

I had only been to Bella's apartment once, but I remembered exactly where it was at. I took a deep breath, and then knocked lightly. I waited for a minute, but she didn't answer, so I knocked a little louder, and then I saw a light flicker on through the window.

Another deep breath.

When the door opened however, I felt the anger boil up once again….Bella didn't answer the door, it was a man.

As much as I wanted to explode and release all my anger, I had a choice. I didn't have to lash out and lose control. It was my fault after all. I was wrong, Bella couldn't wait around for me forever, especially after I had pushed her away yet again…but that didn't stop me from wanting to talk to her…at the very least, go in and kiss my daughter while she slept.

"Jacob?" I asked the man.

"My friends call me Jac, how can I help you?" he asked politely.

"Uh…I was just hoping to come in for a bit…I know it's late, but…"

"Edward Masen?" he asked with a strange tone after the realization of my identity hit him.

"Uh…yeah. I know this is strange, but if we're going to..."

"This isn't strange at all. I always knew you'd show up eventually," he said before moving to the side and letting me in.

"So…" I said uncomfortably while I looked around the apartment. Bella wasn't anywhere, and everything looked like it was redecorated….with beer décor….uhh?

"Here, let me show you something," Jac said excitedly. He ran out of the room, and came back quickly with a box full of….oh fuck!

"When I wrote into the Ellen DeGeneres show saying that I was your number one fan, I just knew she would set this all up for me. Ellen always grants people's greatest wish," he said emotionally.

Oh, god help me.

"Uh…wow…thanks," I said, not knowing what else to say.

"I knew you were originally from around here, so I just loved you even more. You are my idol!"

"Um…"

He began pulling out posters and magazine clippings of me from his box, so I did the only thing I could do…I signed them. He set up his camera so we could take a picture together, so I just went with it. The guy was odd, and probably crazy, but he seemed harmless enough. After fifteen minutes with him, I smiled and said I needed to leave, and thankfully, he let me.

Obviously, I got the wrong apartment, but if that freak knew my daughter lived in the same building as him, it could possibly become an issue; so regardless of my and Bella's future relationship status, I would have to insist that they move. I felt bad about it, but it was for their own good.

I looked at the abundance of doors down the hall, and suddenly felt lost…not emotionally, but literally. I had no idea where their apartment was and I knew Carlisle was probably gone by then, so I took a chance and knocked on another door.

"Can I help you?" a little old woman asked.

"Uh, sorry to bother you, but I'm a little lost. Do you know the Swans?" I asked.

"Bella Swan?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm looking for her apartment."

"You're on the wrong floor honey. Just go up one, her number is C15."

"Uh, thanks," I said before turning away, but of course it couldn't be that easy, and she called after me.

"Are you that child's father?"

I sighed and turned back to her. "Yes ma'am."

"She looks just like you," she said with a smile and then wiggled her finger so I would step closer to her, so I did. And then she smacked my on the side of the head. "Get your ass to the alter! It aint right for a woman to be unwed with a child like that. You better make an honest woman of her, or you'll have to answer to me," she said sternly.

I nodded, and to be honest, I was a little terrified. What the hell kind of neighbors did Bella have?

I was about to take the elevator up, but then I thought better of it. Chances were, I'd end up getting stuck in there and no one would notice for days, so I took the stairs.

Even though the woman had told me that Bella lived at C15, and I found that door easy enough, I was still a little uneasy about knocking. The woman could have been senile for all I knew.

But there was no turning back, so I knocked lightly and waited. Like with the first apartment I went to that evening, the light in the window came on, followed by ruffling of the curtains, and then the door slowly opened.

I breathed a sigh of relief when I locked eyes with Bella, but it didn't last long because then the nerves came back full force.

"Hi," she said softly. Because of the late hour, she was wearing PJs, which actually looked too big for her, and her hair was in a messy pony tail. But, she was the most beautiful I had ever seen her…or anyone, for that matter.

"Am I too late?" I murmured. Although it wasn't intended, I definitely knew there could be a couple different meanings to my question. And to be honest, I wasn't really sure which one I meant at the time… 'Late', having to do with the hour, or 'late' having to do with us having another chance at a relationship.

"It's never too late," she said quietly…her answer working perfectly for both meanings of my question.

I had so many things that I needed to say to her, but I couldn't think of a single one in that moment. My heart was beating out of my chest, and I could feel the sweat beading up on my temple, but thankfully, she took over.

"Here, come inside," she said while moving over so I could pass.

I walked in and looked around remembering everything about the apartment, which made me feel even stupider for even briefly thinking the weirdo's place before could possibly belong to Bella.

"Uh…how are you doing? I actually wasn't expecting you to contact me until tomorrow," she said uncomfortably.

"Yeah…well if you want I can come back," I offered quickly while pulling my phone out of my pocket so I could call Carlisle.

"No," she almost shouted. "I…uh…I mean no, you don't have to do that. I'm glad you're here," she told me.

"Carlie's sleeping?" I assumed, but asked just to be sure.

"Yeah…she has school tomorrow," Bella explained hesitantly.

"Oh, right. I forgot that she started school already. I missed her summer break," I said full of regret.

Bella shrugged. "I was considering keeping her out tomorrow so she can spend time with you."

"Really?" I asked hopefully.

"One day won't hurt her, and she misses you like crazy. She's asked every day when you were coming back…I didn't tell her you were in the hospital; I just said you had some things to take care of. So she's been more than a little impatient," Bella said with a halfhearted laugh.

"Can I go…?" I asked, gesturing towards Rapunzel's bedroom.

Bella nodded. "Of course."

"Thanks," I muttered before slowly walking down the hall. I opened the door as quietly as possible, and tried to find my way over to her bed in the darkness. When my eyes adjusted to the lack of light, I just watched her sleep for awhile. My little girl; she was absolutely perfect, and I had no idea the depths of how much I missed her until that moment.

She was snoring quietly, so I smiled, kissed her head, whispered "I love you", and then finally left her alone to dream in peace.

"She's grown," I mused after going back to the living room where Bella was.

"She grows like a weed," Bella agreed lightly.

We were awkwardly silent for a time, and then I took a deep breath to try to find the strength for what I needed to say, and I must have found it, because I suddenly started talking.

"Bella…there are no words that can properly express how unbelievably sorry I am….not just for the way I acted towards you the last time we saw each other, but for every… cruel act, every hurtful word, every time you had to cry because of me. Every day that turned into the years that I was away. Every minute that you were in pain because of me. If there was any way I could take it all away from you, I would. I love you so much, and I swear to you, whether you'll ever take me back or not, I will never give you another reason to doubt me," I told her intensely.

But words were just words, and I knew that. She needed to feel my regretful remorse, and as she stood there with a blank stare, I had no idea what she was thinking. Even though I was positive she would give me another chance, I also knew it would take time to get anywhere close to what we could be. However, in that moment, standing that close to her and not being able to hold her, was excruciating.

"Edward," she finally said, no louder than a whisper. I looked at her, but didn't respond. "I told you…I've always been waiting."

I never saw her move, but suddenly her arms were around me, swaddling me with all her astonishingly unconditional warmth.

It was too much.

As much as I wanted it, and as much as I ached for her embrace, having her wrapped around me in that way was just so much more than I could handle….so I broke down.

Every inch of me was trembling as I held on to her for dear life, but my legs wouldn't hold anymore, so I sunk down to my knees and just bawled with my face buried in her abdomen. She held me too; she cradled my head and stroked my hair as she cried with me. She bent forward to mold herself around me, and she rested her cheek on my temple.

A small part of me felt like a fucking idiot going on like that, but most of me didn't care. She was there, we were together, and the world finally began spinning again.

Without letting me go, she lowered herself so we both ended up on the floor with her curled on my lap….and then she silenced my pain completely, by crushing my mouth with hers. There were no more tears after that, there wasn't any room for them.

She kissed me, and I kissed her harder. Her lips were my air as I struggled to breathe, but I needed more. I stood, and pulled her up with me, but continued lifting her until she was up in my arms and I was carrying her back to her bedroom…or where I assumed was her bedroom, because technically, I had never been in there before.

But when we got in the room, I tried to calm myself. I didn't want to lose control anymore, even if it was the good kind. At least for awhile, I needed to remain focused. Besides, I wanted to remember every second of my time with her, and the only way to do that was to keep a clear head. So I gently stood Bella on her feet.

"What's wrong?" she asked, confused by my sudden downshift.

"I've never been in here before," I told her pathetically.

"Oh…well, to be honest, no one else has been in here…other than Carlie. I've always kept this room pretty private."

I nodded. "Privacy is good," – knowing her ex fiancé had never been in there, was even better; of course, there was no need to voice that fact.

I continued to look around her room, and then found something amusingly curious. "What's this?" I asked as I pulled out the photo album.

"Oh," she said while her face darkened two shades of pink. "Uh…" she was absolutely embarrassed.

"It's ok, really," I assured her as I looked through the book. It was all clippings from magazines and various photos of me with my band, much like the stuff the crazy dude the floor below had, except coming from her, it was a whole hell of a lot less creepy.

"What's so funny?" she asked playfully defensive as I began to laugh.

"Nothing, sorry. I was just downstairs and this guy pulled out a lot of this same stuff, it was just kind of…disturbing."

"Oh, you're talking about Jac," Bella said knowingly.

"What? You know about that guy?" I asked surprised.

"Everyone knows everyone here. I know it seems kind of…low income, but really, everyone here is really nice."

"And you get along with my biggest fan down there?"

Bella giggled. "He's harmless."

"But he doesn't know you and Carlie are mine, right?"

"No. I said he's harmless, but if he knew that we belonged to you, it might change things," she admitted. We both knew the significance of the choice words we used. Me saying 'you and Carlie are mine', and her coming back with 'we belonged to you', spoke volumes of where our relationship currently was. And it was an amazing feeling.

"So…" I said while glancing through the stuff she had. "Let me guess….you used this stuff to get off on, right?" I said with a straight face.

She stared at me in shock.

"What? Don't look surprised by that question, I remember the way you used to touch yourself when you thought of me," I said smugly.

"No, I had saved these things for Carlie in case she never got a chance to really meet you…The truth is, I would have never had to touch myself if you were there to do the touching for me," she said seriously.

"Hey, I stepped up back then," I said defensively while remembering the first time we had sex after we got married. I'll never forget that night, when she basically told me to fuck her or she was going to do it herself….Yeah, that was definitely an amazing night.

"Yes, you did. Maybe it's time to do it again," she said enticingly.

There was no way I was going to pass up that invitation, so I smiled, and pulled her closer to me, and wrapped her in my arms.

"There's no rush," I told her, just to be sure it was what she really wanted. "We can wait…take it slow."

She looked me intensely in the eyes; the joking mood had passed. "We have waited….and ten years is slow enough."

My sentiments exactly.

So I leaned over, taking her face gently in my hands, and kissed her tenderly. "I love you," I told her emotionally.

"I love you too," she said just as strongly.

I kissed down her neck as I unbuttoned her shirt, but I couldn't help but laugh a little.

"What?" she asked unconcerned, and slightly annoyed that I was pausing.

"Are these mine?" I asked as I finished unbuttoning her.

"You left them…finder's keepers," she said lightly.

"Do you always sleep in my old PJs?" I asked against the skin on her shoulder as I pulled the shirt the rest of the way off of her.

"It was the closest I could get to sleeping with you," she murmured as my kissing moved down her chest. "If I had known you'd show up here tonight, I would have hidden them."

"Mmm, but I like them on you….or off you, rather," I said as I pulled down her rolled pants.

"Why am I the one who's always naked first," she asked breathlessly as my hand came up between her thighs.

"You're prettier naked than I am," I told her as my fingers caressed her sensitive folds.

"Oh, I beg to differ," she said while pushing my hand away from her, before grabbing the hem of my shirt to pull it over my head. She kissed my chest while undoing my pants, and pushed them down to my ankles. She pushed my boxers down next, and immediately grabbed my hardness and began to rub slowly up and down the length. It felt absolutely incredible, but just like her not wanting my hand at that moment, I didn't want hers either. I pulled her away, and lifted her up slightly by her ass to move us towards the bed….and of course, because my pants were still around my ankles, I tripped, sending us both tumbling to the bed.

We both started laughing as we bounced from our fall, which only made our tangled naked bodies awaken even more, so our laughs quickly morphed into pure passion as we resumed kissing the others body. Our lips caressed any and every part of the other's skin that we could reach, and the fire building between us intensified with every passing touch.

I needed to be inside of her, it wasn't a desire, it was a necessity as important as breathing. But because I was hanging onto controlled sanity with every ounce I was capable of, I soon realized there was definitely a problem.

"I don't have a condom," I mumbled.

"Huh?...oh….So, no one slipped you any recently?" she asked. I was pretty certain she meant it as a joke, but it came out sounding desperate. She needed me inside her as much as I needed it. Our bodies needed to be connected, it was just a fact.

"No, that's not a common thing to do in the loony bin," I joked.

Her hands were tight on my back as I laid on top of her with our bodies pressed firmly together, flesh to flesh. Moving inside of her would only take one fluid motion, but I couldn't, not without a condom…Fuck!

Except, maybe I could….

"Edward, it doesn't matter," Bella breathed. "We're together now…nothing's going to come between us again," she said confidently.

"I swear," I added, just reaffirming what she was saying. "I'm going to spend the rest of my life making everything up to you."

"Then make love to me now, and whatever happens, we'll take care of it together," she said doubtlessly.

"Are you sure?" I asked feeling a new sensation, something that I couldn't remember feeling before. It was similar to excitement and hope, and yet it was stronger because it was a result of a choice. The thought of choosing to jump right into a family life with her, without a hint of fear, was beyond words. I wanted it, I wanted to be married again with a baby on the way. Maybe it was all too soon, but neither of us were afraid. We were past it, past running away, and it was time to start living, no matter what life had in store for us.

"I've never been more sure about anything before," she said softly.

I kissed her again, before shifting myself in just the right position, and slowly pushed into her. Every time I moved inside her, it felt like the first. It didn't matter if we had been apart for awhile, or together a few hours earlier, she always gave me the most overwhelming intense feeling I ever had before. And I was positive that would never change.

She held onto me tightly as we moved together in perfect harmony. Giving and taking, pushing and pulling; we were once again, perfectly in-sync as we both neared the edge. Slowing down when we got too close, and then speeding back up to prolong the feeling. The room wasn't hot, but the temperature of our union was causing us to both sweat in the most amazingly erotic way. Our moist foreheads were pressed together as we stared into each other's eyes, while our bodies continued to work together.

And just like the way we always would from then on, we came together…in every sense of the word. I erupted inside of her as her walls clamped down on me, and released in a pulsating buzz that engulfed our entire combined body.

And, just for old time sake, I asked her "Are you ok?"

Which she responded with a tired giggle. "I am now," she said while holding me even closer to her, emphasizing her meaning.

I didn't pull out of her, and despite knowing we'd probably come apart while we slept, I decided to just stay that way for as long as possible. I carefully maneuvered us to the side so we were resting comfortably, and we just held each other.

I still had so much I wanted to say to her, and there was so much she wanted to hear; so, right then, as we laid there twisted and attached, I told her everything on my mind. I explained what happed during my six weeks under lock down, and even described the dream I had of the shaking room. I wanted her to know that even though I wanted to get better for myself, it was her strength and love that got me there.

She was quiet and listened the entire time, and when I was finished, she just simply held me tighter, kissed my lips sweetly, and said "I love you so much." And that's the only response I needed. Everything that mattered was there in those few words, and in the depths of her eyes.

We were quiet then, with nothing else that needed to be discussed at that moment. Everything else would work itself out, and we drifted off to sleep knowing that the next day, would be the first day of the rest of our lives.

When the sun arose and blazed through the window, I woke up with a smile, still holding Bella in my arms.

"Morning," I said as I kissed her awake. It may have been selfish of me, but it was still early and I knew we had some time before Rapunzel got up, so I wanted to take full advantage.

"Mmm," she mumbled with a smile, but kept her eyes shut.

"It's time to wake up," I said with a quiet laugh. As predicted, we came apart during the night, but all that did was make my manliness want back inside even more.

"Are you going to make love to me again?" she asked almost unintelligibly.

"That was the plan," I said before kissing her bare shoulder.

"Ok," she said, suddenly fully awake and eager.

I laughed again. "Well, aren't we horny in the morning," I teased.

"Yes, and it's a good thing you're here too, because if you weren't I would have had to go through your pile of magazine clippings to masturbate to," she joked before rolling over on top of me, and climbing right onto my lap. She didn't waste any time on foreplay, she just automatically lifted herself up, before sinking down and taking me all inside her.

She began rocking, so I matched her movements with upwards thrusts to deepen the sensation. She let her head fall back as our motions intensified, but I kept my hands firmly on her hips to steady us in order to go even harder. And as much as I wanted to close my eyes from the euphoric feeling, I kept them wide and fixated on her perfect body as she climaxed.

God, she was so fucking beautiful.

She continued to move on me to ride out her orgasm, which completely sent me over the edge…I only hoped I wasn't grabbing a hold of her too tightly, because I really couldn't tell. But of course, she didn't complain, not that she ever would, but she seemed to be perfectly content as she collapsed forward onto my chest.

We breathed together for a few minutes, before she kissed me one more time, and then pulled herself off of me.

"I could really use a shower," she said seductively as she walked completely naked into the conjoining bathroom.

"Yeah, I definitely stink," I joked as I jumped out of bed to follow her.

When we were finished washing each other, we both got dressed, but of course I was finished sooner, so I went back into the bathroom and started brushing my teeth.

"Is that my toothbrush?" Bella asked incredulously when she saw what I was doing.

I shrugged. "You use my PJs, it's only fair," I mumbled as I continued. I actually forgot my bag in Carlisle's car, so I was forced to wear the clothes I had on the day before, but after having my mouth over every inch of Bella's body, I needed to brush my teeth before seeing my daughter.

I was almost giddy at the thought of seeing Rapunzel and telling her I was home for good. Six weeks of being away from her without ever saying goodbye, was just way too much.

"Well, it's my turn now," Bella said while taking her toothbrush out of my hand. She smiled, and then leaned forward before sticking her tongue in my mouth, still full of toothpaste.

It was disgustingly erotic.

Bella pulled out of the messy kiss, and then wiped her face. "Thanks," she said before smiling and walking back to the bedroom.

She was seriously going to kill me.

But then everything else went away, as the door of the bedroom started jiggling.

"Mom, why is the door locked?" Rapunzel's voice carried.

Bella glanced back at me to make sure I was decent, and then she opened the door while I quickly washed my mouth out.

"What's going on? You never lock your….DADDY!" Rapunzel yelled when she saw me, and then launched herself at me, and right into my waiting arms. "You're here, you're really here," she said happily as we held each other.

"I'm here, and I'm never leaving you again," I cooed into her ear.

Rapunzel was more than a little happy to take the day off of school so we could get caught up, and she spent the majority of the day talking my ear off, and filing me in on everything I missed. She wanted to know what I had been doing since we saw each other last, but I thought that conversation was better left for when she was older. So I simply replied with –"I was fixing some things so I could stay with you."

I didn't think she could possibly understand what I was talking about, but she seemed to be thinking about it really hard.

"Dad, I heard Aunt Rose say that what goes up, must go down…but I think she was wrong."

"Oh yeah, how so?" I asked confused as to why she decided to tell me that at that moment.

"Because, when you plant a seed down in the ground, it always grows up. So it can work both ways."

I thought about what she was saying, and it actually made sense and was extremely profound for her age. Not everything had to come crashing back to earth, sometimes things really can go up and stay up until the very end. We could stay together as a family; it was possible to live the rest of our lives in that way.

Later that afternoon, Bella said she had a surprise for me, so since it was a Friday and Rapunzel didn't have school the following day, the two of them packed an overnight bag and we drove to Forks for the weekend. I needed my stuff from Carlisle's car anyway, so going was actually a good thing…as long as Bella and I could still get some alone time in at night.

"You're not throwing some annoying welcome home party, are you?" I asked warily.

"I'm not telling you anything," Bella said with a smile as she drove down the highway.

"Bella, I don't want some big hoopla over me," I whined.

"There's no party; our family will be there to see you….but that's not the surprise," she said with a smirk, knowing it was driving me mad.

"What is it Rapunzel?" I asked over my shoulder, hoping that Carlie would tell me if she knew. But she just shrugged; either she knew and wouldn't tell me, or she really had no idea what it was - my guess was the former.

The suspense was driving me mad, but nothing could really bring me down, because the three of us were already on the fast track to normalcy. There was no more awkwardness or uncertainties. We were a family, and there was no need to take time to ease into it.

When we pulled up to the Cullen's house, everyone came out to greet me….and to my surprise, Jasper was there with Alice as well. After I greeted all the Cullens, with an extra long hug from Esme, I turned to Jasper to inquire about work related shit.

"Hey man," I said while giving him the handshake dude hug.

"You made it out," he said excitedly.

"Yeah, well," I shrugged. "What happened with Aro, did he end up getting pissed because I was gone?" I asked him.

"Yeah, he was pissed. But Carlisle basically pointed out the beauty of a celebrity breakdown with a sequential stint in rehab," Jasper explained with a laugh. "Aro is loving the publicity."

"Ah fuck! Are you serious?" I asked annoyed by the headache that the 'publicity' was going to cause me.

"Hey, I figured you'd prefer that over being sued," Carlisle said defensively.

I pressed my lips and nodded. "True. Thanks Carlisle."

"Yeah, there was some major media posted outside all the treatment facilities in LA and New York hoping to figure out where you were," Jasper went on. "But that's the beauty of Seattle, no one even suspected it."

"Nice," I said.

"Hey bro, I was thinking. If you ever need a roadie, I could definitely help you in that department," Emmett said unexpectedly.

"You're hired," I said jokingly, but of course, if he was serious, then so was I.

We all went inside for a bit, and Esme made dinner. It was really awesome sitting around the table with my entire family, as we all laughed and reminisced about old times. It felt so good to be able to joke about the things that used to weigh me down, but that was the new found freedom that I had earned.

Carlisle and Esme were thrilled to have Jasper back in the picture as well, they all were. It was obvious that he and Alice belonged together, just as Bella and I did.

"You ready?" Bella asked after dinner as everyone moved into the living room to continue the reunion.

"For what?" I asked confused. It was still too early to turn in for the night, Rapunzel was even still bouncing around the house, so I really had no idea what she was talking about.

"For your surprise."

"I thought Jasper was my surprise," I said.

She smiled. "Jasper, your friend who you've spent the past ten years with, your surprise? I don't think so," she said before grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the front door. "Esme, we're heading out for a bit!" she called to her.

"Ok, I'll make sure Carlie goes to bed at a decent hour," Esme replied. "Have fun."

"Thanks," Bella said, before leading me outside.

"Where are we going?" I asked getting anxious.

"You're about to find out," Bella said, amused by my impatience.

I followed her to the huge Cullen garage, where I was even more confused. She opened the big door to let in more light, then took me in the back where there was what looked like a covered car.

"Surprise!" she said excitedly.

"You got me a car?" I asked thoroughly confused.

"Take off the cover," she instructed, so I did.

"Holy SHIT!" I yelled, completely flabbergasted. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

Bella just smiled, as I completely lost it. It wasn't just any car, it was my car…my mother's Volvo. Not just the same model, it was THE car, it still even had the scratch mark on the front finder from my first driving mishap when I was sixteen.

"How…where…?" I was at a loss.

"Well, I used the VIN number to track it down. Technically, Carlisle still had all the paperwork on it since you didn't actually give it away legally," she explained.

"So, you just took the car from Laurence?" I asked skeptically.

"No, Laurence had sold it to some car enthusiast guy who wanted it because it was a limited edition; he didn't even care that the thing was never registered, he just basically kept it in his garage. So basically, I had to spend an obscene amount of money to get him to give it up."

I narrowed my eyes at her, playfully suspicious. "And, where did you get the money?"

"Oh you know, the pole," she said seriously. "Being a stripper makes really good money these days."

"Uh-huh, right," I said sarcastically.

"Well, I guess I was more of a prostitute. I did have to let some really sleazy guy get me pregnant to get the money for this," she continued with her serious tone.

I smiled widely. "Sleazy? I am definitely not sleazy… Wait, you used your half of my inheritance for this? I thought you said that money was for Carlie?"

Bella shrugged. "Well, I figured my next husband was rich enough to cover her future."

I smiled again, and wrapped her in my arms. "You're going to let me be your sugar daddy?"

"I don't think you're old enough to be my sugar daddy, but…basically yeah."

"What happened to not wanting a lavish lifestyle?" I teased.

But then she really did become serious. "I don't...but I had to make a choice, and working a full time job here in Washington, just doesn't mix with your life and what you do. So, if we're going to make this work, then I need to be with you and go where you go….which means I need to quit working. Living the way you do, was never something I ever thought I would do, or wanted to do, but I want to be with you, and nothing else matters."

I caressed her face and then leaned in to kiss her. I knew Bella wasn't the type who reveled in expensive things, in fact, they made her uncomfortable, but she was willing to put up with all of it to be with me and I couldn't have possibly been more grateful. I was resolved to give up my career for her, even if it meant getting sued, because there wasn't anything more important to me than being with her every day, but now I didn't have to. We both knew the music thing wouldn't last forever, but until my career was officially over, she'd be there with me.

"What about Carlie's school?" I asked.

"We'll figure it all out," she said doubtlessly. "But right now, let's take this baby for a spin," she said while placing a key in my hand.

"You're the best, do you know that?" I asked with a huge grin.

"Yeah, but you can keep telling me that if you want," she said arrogantly.

"You're the best," I said then kissed her. "You're the best," I repeated, and then kissed her again. I was about to tell her for a third time, but she put her finger on my lips to stop me.

"Ok, kiss me again later. Let's go," she said with a giggle.

We got in the car, and I drove out of the garage and onto the street. "Where to?"

"Just drive," she said while placing her hand over mine.

"You got it," I said while taking off towards the freeway.

I couldn't believe how quickly everything had changed. After spending ten years with the world at my fingertips but having nothing I needed, finally, I had my life back and everything made sense again. The car, which had meant everything to me at one time, was just an added bonus. I didn't need it anymore…but it was sure as hell nice to have back.

As I drove towards my intended location, I mused over just how drastically I had changed within myself, since the last time I was in that car with her. Even though I loved Bella back then, I never allowed myself to ever dream of having a real life with her….and there we were, over ten years later, seated in the same places, and yet, our future was finally set and on track.

Bella must have realized where we were headed as I turned down the familiar streets, but she didn't say anything. She just sat there peacefully, holding my hand, right where she should be by my side.

I parked, and we both got out….and even though I highly doubted it would be there, I took a chance and popped the trunk to look for the old blanket I used to keep back there….and it actually was. Well, it wasn't the same blanket, but there was definitely a blanket.

"You put this back here?" I said with a grin.

"I know you always like to be prepared."

"God, I love you."

"I love you too," she said before I kissed her. We walked up to the same sand dune that I took her to, so many years before, when we were just a couple of kids - Me, with an ulterior motive; her, loving a part of me that I thought had died with my mother and sister. But she always knew what I couldn't see, that I was still there, locked in that room of pain…waiting for her to break me out. And she did, she was the only one who ever could.

We laid wrapped up together, just watching the tide change of the ocean in front of us. It was strange to have no fear of the future, but I really didn't. Life was full of uncertainties, but as long as we both lived, we'd be together.

"Bella, will you marry me?" I asked her softly. It wasn't a plan to ask her that, it just came out, but I'd never regret it. I didn't have a ring, or some huge speech thought out, I wasn't even down on my knee, but the question was just as meaningful as it would have been if I did have all those things.

Everything had happened so fast; I was in the loony bin only the day before, but as the sun set on the first complete day of being reunited with her, I knew it was the perfect time to ask. Bella was right before when she said we had taken it slow enough over the past ten years….it was time to jump right into the life we were always meant to be living.

Bella rolled over to rest her chin on my chest, and she looked at me just as she did in my dream – full of love and devotion, and then she said - "Yes, of course I'll marry you."

I felt like I could fly…really and truly. No feeling in the world could possibly compare.

****Nothing but a breezy HEA chapter/epilogue left. All the drama is behind them…thank goodness!

Feel free to let me know if there was something you think I left out, because after the next chapter, this story is finis

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